Grande Prairie man, 34, charged after teenage boy lured over social media
A Grande Prairie man who posed as a teenage girl to lure teenage boys on social media is facing child exploitation charges after allegedly luring and trying to sexually assault a teenage boy.
Police believe there may be other victims in Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Australia.
Jonathan Karl Bruenig, 34, was arrested Jan. 23, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams said in a news release Wednesday.
The offences against the teenage boy were reported to police by a concerned relative, ALERT said.
ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit alleges that Bruenig used a number of online personas, often posing as a teenage girl on social media to lure teenage boys.
ICE alleges that Bruenig's online conversations would progress from sexualized chats to sharing explicit photos and videos.
Bruenig is also accused of attempting to make arrangements to meet with the boys.
He was arrested at his home in Grande Prairie with the help of Grande Prairie RCMP, but ICE is also working with its partner agencies to investigate similar offences in the Northwest Territories, northern British Columbia and Australia.
Bruenig has lived in the Grande Prairie and Kelowna areas, and has also been involved with a number of junior hockey teams.
He has been in custody since his arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 12.
He faces these criminal charges:
- two counts of child luring;
- two counts of making child pornography;
- two counts of distributing child pornography;
- two counts of possessing child pornography.
The investigation is ongoing.
ICE is also looking to identify and speak with potential victims. Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to call 780-509-3363 or submit information anonymously at cybertip.ca.
